Prague is tussling with a brothel over a building in Prague’s market square
In Prague, court verdicts fail to evict the Showpark brothel from the Holešovice market. The hall in question is supposed to house the city police, but the brothel’s operator – a company called Eroc – refuses to leave the premises.
As Deputy Mayor Pavel Vyhnánek (Praha Sobě) told ČTK and Práv, Eroc has one more option to appeal in disputes over eviction. According to Vyhnánek, after another court decision in favor of the city, she would probably have to leave the premises at the end of the year. After that, the vacated building should house the city police and there could also be space for start-up companies.
In the dispute between the city and the operator about the evacuation of the building, the court first ruled two years ago, and the company then defended itself against the ruling. However, the courts ultimately decided to vacate the building. “We have a valid judgment for eviction, we have already handed it over to the executor, who has started execution. However, the operator of the Showpark contested the execution of this court decision in court,” said Vyhnánek.
Although the court recently ruled again in favor of the city, the company can still appeal to the authorities. “It’s really just a formality, now the operator is only playing for time, and I assume that at the beginning of autumn we will have the last, highest instance confirmed,” said the deputy.
After the hall is vacated, the city police should move into it, which has been looking for new premises in Prague 7 for a long time. “In the second part, we are thinking about such an incubator or hub, which we would like to create with the help of subsidized titles in the area of the creative industry, where young companies could be based and have some shared offices there,” added Vyhnánek.
The operator of the Showpark never had a lease agreement with the municipality, but rented the premises from Delta Center, which leased the entire market from the city. After losing the dispute with the municipality, she had to vacate the area with obligations to pay the outstanding rent with accessories in the amount of 246 million crowns.
Eroc company executive Zbyněk Matela previously said that the club operated without problems for 20 years and contributed to the removal of prostitution from the streets. According to him, roughly 600 “performing artists”, as the worker referred to him, would move to the center in the event of the club’s closure. He wanted a lease around town. However, according to Vyhnánek, the city could not conclude a contract with the company in view of the nature of its business, even if it wanted to. (ČTK)